'Dignity of risk' an issue in aged care

Something as simple as a soft boiled egg throws up complex safety and regulatory issues in Australia's aged care system, the aged care royal commission has heard.

Aged and Community Services Australia chief executive Patricia Sparrow has offered the humble egg as an example of the "risk-averse" approach to residential care.

Discussing the issue she described as the "dignity of risk" or allowing people to make choices that reflect their desires, she said at one stage eggs had to be boiled for 15 minutes because of the slight risk of contracting Listeria.

"Our view is that if you are in your 80s and have made decisions all your life and perhaps fought in a world war and brought up a family and you wanted to have a soft boiled egg, you should actually be able to have a soft boiled egg," Ms Sparrow said.

"That should be a choice you should be able to make."

She said it was a striking example of rights being taken away by restrictive legislation or regulation.

Ms Sparrow said it was important to get the balance right between keeping people safe and supporting them to have the quality of life they desired.

"Those small examples about choices that people can make, that give quality of life and meaning to them, we should be able to support," she said.

ACSA represents 700 church, charitable and community-based not-for-profit organisation providing accommodation and care to more than 450,000 older Australians.